Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature

women are free.' (Mrs. R F Hussein, 'Ornaments or Badge of Slavery', Mclhilcl (Women), May, July, 1903) Even those who love Calcutta will admit that it is not an easy place for academic investigations. Hilary Standing aptly describes the city as 'simultaneously shocking and exciting'. The scrupulous fieldwork, the basis of the book, took toll of Dr Standing's health and delayed the publication of her study. But it was not in vain. Indeed, it is the long gestation period that has given her an insight into the society she set out to study with empathy, modesty and love. The result is a book which offers a rigorous theoretical framework yet is also full of human experiences and interactions. The study reflects the process of an 'outsider' becoming an 'insider' in the course of her academic research. As someone coming from Calcutta the city I left to avoid an arranged marriage just like one of the characters of Hilary Standing's book this is the greatest compliment I can pay to her research.